Fixing up an old coop

Edit: Dang, didn't see the dates. Looks like you solved your problem. Good work. Forgive me, I don't know how to delete posts.


Gosh. Given your budget, you might be better off using those pavers you have, get palettes, heavy plastic tarp and making a temporary structure. I'd frame the bottom of the palettes with hardware cloth so critters can't dig up and under to get inside. If you have more time than money, might be the thing to do.

Also, visit your local big box hardware store, look at the discount lumber stock, usually 75% off, mostly long, twisted boards, or mis-cut boards; I bet you could find a bunch of materials there you could use. You don't need to be all Bob Vila to make it happen.

Heck, if you are really in a bind and have a garage, you could have an area in that space as your coop. Put a plastic tarp down so no mess gets into the concrete and just hack together an enclosure with a roost bar and room for food and water.

You might also want to check garden centers that have small greenhouses, might be going on sale now and they could have another life once you get your dream coop going.

Thanks for the advice guys. I just resurrected my thread to show the mobile chicken coop ("chickshaw" from abundantpermaculture website) we built. The unusable coop is in the background on the right. I'll keep in mind about the box store discount lumber, as I would like to build a permanent coop for breeding and raising chicks. The shaw cost $600 and our 20-30 birds should have enough space.